Li: Projects
Beliefs About Learning Among Children and Parents in Taiwan and the United States
Project Period: May, 03-April, 06
Principal Investigator: Jin Li, Co-PI: Heidi Fung, Ph.D., Academia Sinica, Taiwan
Funding Agencies: Chang Ching-Kuo Foundation ($51,000)
This study focused on early elementary schoolchildren with three components: (1) children's learning-related self-concepts, (2) parental socialization of learning beliefs, and (3) parents' emotional reactions to children's learning attitudes, behavior, and achievement. For (1), we collected children's stories about themselves at home vs. at school. For (2) we recorded mother-child conversations about good learning attitudes/behavior vs. less desirable attitudes/behavior. For (3) we assessed emotional reactions to children's learning attitudes and achievement by mothers and fathers and their respective socialization strategies. Currently we have completed some data analyses of all three components. We have found that children's self-concepts are constructed in the nexus of three key dimensions: domain (home life vs. school learning), self-construal orientation (autonomy vs. relatedness), and cultural values (e.g., emphasis on social competence vs. moral self-improvement in school). We have also found the two cultures' mothers socialize their children differently. European American (EA) mothers focus on fostering their children's self-confidence and pride; Taiwanese mothers emphasize continuous self-improvement. Finally, EA parents' affects are pride for their children's good learning attitudes/achievement, but sadness and anger at teachers for poor attitudes/achievement. Taiwanese parents' affects are relief for good attitudes/achievement but shame/guilt at themselves and anger at their own children for poor attitudes/achievement. We are in the process of publishing these results.